Sports Tech, on Track for $76 Billion Annually by 2020, Will Have Dedicated CES Zone

CES will have a few firsts in Las Vegas in January, including new exhibit space for artificial intelligence, a high-tech retail conference and exhibit area, and a design and source marketplace and conference program, said CEO Gary Shapiro at a CES Unveiled news conference in New York Thursday. Also new is expansion to the Monte Carlo Resort & Casino for the Monday night keynote by Intel CEO Brian Krzanich, to be in the Park Theater, Jan. 8, at 6:30 p.m., said Karen Chupka, CTA senior vice president-CES and corporate business strategy. The “booming” sports technology industry will have its own zone for the first time in the Sands Convention Center near Hall D, reflecting growth in an industry projected to reach $76 billion by 2020, Chupka said. What was once a market associated with fitness trackers, heart rate monitors and other wearables, has morphed into a larger category involving smart products that enhance athletic performance, fan engagement, and the business of sports, Chupka said. That includes smart arenas, e-sports and e-leagues and a changing role of sponsorships, she said. The sports fan experience will evolve, becoming more immersive through artificial and virtual reality technologies that will be shown at CES, she said. Turner Sports is sponsoring the sports zone, and CES also is partnering with market research company Sports Innovation Lab. The zone will include exhibits, demos e-leagues and two conference tracks -- one targeting sports innovation and the other sports technology, Chupka said. The 2018 CES celebrity ambassador is former NBA player Baron Davis, she announced. Responding to a question on possible security procedure changes at CES hotels, after last month’s mass shooting at a concert outside the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Chupka said the Las Vegas community is studying whether there are other measures organizers can take, but Las Vegas already has security measures in place such as cameras in the casinos. “Quite frankly, they have a lot of things in place,” she said of Las Vegas, including one of only a few fusion centers in the country, described by the Department of Homeland Security as state and major urban area focal points for the receipt, analysis, gathering and sharing of threat-related information among federal, state, local, tribal, territorial and private sector partners.